


Your Face Belongs Up On The Silver Screen

by TheSadisticMunchkin



Series: 30 Days of Hamburr Challenge [8]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: 30 Days of Hamburr, 30 Days of Writing, Aaron being woke af is my fave, Also transboy!Madison if you squint, Alternate Universe - Actors, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Conversations, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluffy Ending, Happy Ending, I'm gonna tag it as fluff, Is it fluff?, M/M, Political themes really, Starving Actors more likely, We're talking about blatant racism in the movie industry y'all!!, we'll never know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-08
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-30 08:05:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6415642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSadisticMunchkin/pseuds/TheSadisticMunchkin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Tell me Brian, what’s your real name and what’s your game?” Aaron snapped his gaze back to Skippy who seemed to have the most infuriating smirk on his face. “My real name is Alexander Hamilton but I was given the nickname of Skippy. Why? I don’t know. I don’t think it suits me.”</p><p>“I think Spicy would fit you better.”</p><p>“Ooh! Why is that, Brian?”</p><p>“I don’t like spicy.”</p><p>Alexander just laughed like he heard the most amazing joke of the decade.</p><p>Day 8 of the 30 Days of Hamburr Self-Induced Challenge of 2016</p>
            </blockquote>





	Your Face Belongs Up On The Silver Screen

**Author's Note:**

> Y'all it's going to get lit af in here!! Don't you just love it when Burr finally stands up for what he believes in?
> 
> Random Dedication of the day goes to notallstraightwhiteboys on tumblr! I see you, friend. Don't hide from me

Movies dominated Aaron Burr’s life since birth.

 

His parents were second-generation actors from rival studios. His grandfather was a famous romantic movie scriptwriter. His grandmother was America’s sweetheart for all of 2 decades. The stories he heard from his relatives about his parents and grandparents put him in awe. He wanted to be just like them: remembered, adored, respected and famous because of the passion and hard work they put in their craft.

 

At least… Aaron  _ thought  _ they were famous.

 

It turned out that his parents were not major actors, they mostly played as extras or the occasional speaking minor roles. His grandfather was actually a ghostwriter for a more recognized scriptwriter of his time. His grandmother wasn’t even  _ close _ to being America’s sweetheart. All the pictures they showed him weren’t even of her. They didn’t even bother to tell him how to spot the difference. 

 

So he thought his dream was over after that. He was lied to about his family’s legacy and what was he supposed to uphold? The discrimination? The unjust system that Hollywood had for young, non-white actors such as himself? He couldn’t hide the fact that most of his favorite movies had white protagonists. He couldn’t even be surprised by the talent that was overlooked because of religion, color, and the obvious stigma that existed for more than 50 years.

 

But was Aaron going to do something about it?

 

No, he wasn’t.

 

He stayed quiet because fools who ran their mouths off wound up dead. It wasn’t because he was afraid that he wouldn’t get by. No. It was because he knew that he definitely  _ won’t  _ be able to make it big in Hollywood. Whether he was a scriptwriter, a director, in the production team, or the caffeinating guy, he wasn’t going to be an Oscar winner. He wasn’t going to try and change the system because the system was set in stone no matter how many people stand up against it.

 

Everything was still the same. So why should he try?

 

So he went with the most steady job he could think of: being an extra. Well, it didn’t particularly pay the bills but it was the steadiest income he had in a long time. His last big project really took a toll on him financially and he had to do something to keep him on his feet. Aaron wasn’t a dreamer because every dream he had was shot down. He plunged himself into the cold, harsh, reality that was an open casting call for extras.

 

What was good about the open casting call was that several studios had his auditions. Of course, they would make some people auditioning to do lines that the leads would do, in the hopes of finding the next Harrison Ford, but most of the time they were asked the simple questions.  _ Can you look like you can make coffee? Can you pose as a high school student? Are you of (insert country here) descent?  _

 

Aaron answered those questions so many times, he didn’t even have to think about it anymore. The thing is, casting directors didn’t like hesitance. They needed people willing to do whatever it took to be in the movie. If he was shy and indecisive, they would scrap his headshot altogether. He didn’t want that. His coffee maker was still broken at home. Until he got enough money to afford the instant coffee packs for a month, he would have to continue being an extra.

 

Another plus was the add-on anonymity. 

 

Directors would just give you numbers, at least in Aaron’s experiences. He would hear stuff like “Extra #24 and #3, please stand over there… perfect!” Sometimes he would hear the occasional “Can extras #5 and #7 please do something hilarious at the back or something?” It didn’t help that Aaron somehow always got cast as an extra in movies with really pretentious directors. He didn’t understand it. They were mostly romcoms. Rom-coms were practically  _ no-brainers.  _

 

“Hey um… what’s your number?” The 5th pretentious director for the month, he liked to call this one  _ the spit take  _ because of the drastic amount of times that happened throughout shooting, called to him. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’ll just call you Brian. Is that alright with you?” Ah yes, this was also  _ Wrong Name Nicknames  _ director. At least, Brian rhymed with Aaron just a tiny bit. It was better than being called a number. 

 

“Alright so Brian, you’re just going to sit behind the two leads in this coffee shop scene.” Of course, there was a coffee shop scene. If someone happened to watch the last 5 B-movie rom-com that came out in the past few months, there would  _ always  _ be a coffee shop scene. He was also  _ always in it.  _ He would be the blurry shot of a barista or another patron they would take an aesthetic shot of that would never be in the final cut for the movie.

 

“You’ll be paired up with Skippy over there.” Aaron doubted the other extra was named Skippy but he waved at him nonetheless. He was already positioned on the table they were supposed to sit in. “All you have to do is talk. You think you can do that?” Aaron resisted the urge to roll his eyes or he would lose a job. He nodded once and the director patted him harshly on the back. “That’s my boy! Now go sit with Skippy. We’ll start in 10 minutes, Brian!”

 

When he sat down across Skippy, or whatever his name was, he had to close his eyes and count to ten. There were days that were good for an actor and there were days that just wasn’t right for an actor. Today was one of those days. Today was one of those days where he would imagine what he would be if he went for lead roles instead of extras. It was one of those days where he wished he never moved to LA and just stayed in New Jersey.

 

“I don’t know about you, Brian, but the coffee in this fake coffee shop seems much more bitter than our assistant director.” Skippy gestured in the direction of Washington, the only director Aaron bothered to remember the name of. He was a cool guy and had a swagger that he admired. He only ever made one major movie and it flopped tremendously. He started his career off with indie films and commercials before he went to the big leagues just to be squashed.

 

He was currently scowling at the Director behind his back.

 

“My name’s not Brian.” He supplied and Skippy just shrugged his shoulders. He sipped from the ‘too bitter’ coffee with a face that said  _ dear God, why did I drink that?  _

 

“Yeah I know that, bro. I was just talking to another fellow extra of ours over there named Lucille and  _ she’s  _ actually a dude but the director doesn’t give two shits about your gender identity. Tell me, Brian, what’s your real name and what’s your game?” Aaron snapped his gaze back to Skippy who seemed to have the most infuriating smirk on his face. “My real name is Alexander Hamilton but I was given the nickname of Skippy. Why? I don’t know. I don’t think it suits me.”

 

“I think Spicy would fit you better.”

 

“Ooh! Why is that, Brian?”

 

“I don’t like spicy.”

 

Alexander just laughed like he heard the most amazing joke of the decade.

 

“You’re sassy! I like it, Brian.” Alexander reached over the table to pinch one of his cheeks and Aaron was too shocked to move. “Your cheeks are really soft too. What’s your secret? Ponds? Dishwashing soap? The souls of your dead enemies bathed in the River Styx?” 

 

“My  _ name  _ is Aaron. And do you  _ ever  _ stop talking?”

 

“Why do you think I’ve only been getting minor roles and scraping by with being an extra?”

 

“You should really talk less then if you want to make it in this business.”

 

Alexander raised an eyebrow and placed his elbows on top of the table. He cradled his head in both his hands as he looked at Aaron with the same infuriating expression. Seriously, Aaron only spent 2 minutes with this guy and he  _ already  _ wanted to shoot him. “Look who’s talking! Tell me, Aaron, how many major roles have you gotten by being everyone’s obedient servant? Did any good come out of staying silent and never toeing the line?”

 

Both of them didn’t even notice that the Director already called for action but Aaron didn’t care. He was too focused on wanting to teach this little shit a lesson. Did he really think he knew better than him on how this business worked? No matter if they were lies, his family has worked in Hollywood under fake names and fake faces for decades. Even if they never got their chance in the limelight, his family had to work thrice as hard, four times as hard, as the average white man to even make one fifth of what they made.

 

For once, he was not going to wait for the scene to be over.

 

Director Nicknames wanted him to talk. He was  _ going to talk. _

 

“I’m sure you’re aware of the stigma Hollywood has portrayed to me as I grew up. When I was little, I was convinced my parents and grandparents were legends in this field. I was told lie after lie after lie of what they did that made America love them so much.”

 

“What happened?”

 

Aaron turned his body to fully face Alexander and it seemed that he had his full attention. “I grew up. That’s what happened.” He took a deep breath, drowning the bitter coffee in one go before he started up again. “I grew up to find out they were never adored by America. They never had a legacy that would make it into the history books. The media ignored them because of their skin color and Hollywood was brutal to people like them, people like  _ me. _

 

“And not just people like me, Alex. People like Lucille…”

 

“James Madison.”

 

Aaron tilted his head, confused. “Huh?”

 

“H-His name is James Madison. Thought I should let you know before you continue.” Alexander was looking at him with nothing but genuine interest. No one has really looked at him like that before. Aaron smiled before he started talking again. His bottled up aggressions towards Hollywood and the film industry just spewed out of his mouth and Alexander was actually listening to him and giving him helpful insight.

 

It was exhilarating to finally be speaking his mind after years and years of waiting for it. It was also refreshing to be able to talk to someone who had the same beliefs and would offer his own opinions and observations. He was actually smiling this time. He was smiling at Alexander as it was his turn to give his thoughts on the industry they’re both in. He watched his fingers flex around his coffee cup and his little ponytail bounce with each frantic movement of his head.

 

Somehow along the way, their conversation turned into interests. What movies did they actually like and which Directors didn’t make them want to strangle them? Do horror movies really make you scared or do you just throw popcorn at the screen and laugh? Favorite villain, soundtrack, actress, actor and many other things were just a few of the topics that came up other than their shared belief in the systematic oppression behind the silver screen.

 

Aaron may not have known this at the time but he was already falling in love.

 

“CUT!” 

 

Both extras jumped in their seats when Nicknames Director called out to them. “Yo! Brian and Skippy, was it? What the heck are y’all doin’?”

 

“Talking?” Aaron answered it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

 

“I said just  _ talk  _ to each other, Brian! I didn’t say  _ fall in love with each other!”  _

 

Oh.

 

Aaron looked back at his fellow actor and he was surprised to see a deep blush spread across his olive skin. That was actually pretty damn cute.  _ Oh god, he was right.  _ With a bit lip, Alexander glanced up at him sheepishly through his eyelashes and damn if Aaron wasn’t going to think that looked fucking  _ adorable.  _ “At least, they didn’t hear our conversation, right?”

 

“Wrong, Skippy! The microphone picked up  _ every word.”  _

 

_ Fuck. Now he was never going to get free coffee ever again. _

 

A few minutes later, Brian and Skippy were kicked out of the studio and told to forget ever working with them again. “Look on the bright side, Aaron.” Alex slung an arm around his fellow actor’s shoulder and squeezed it in what he hoped felt comforting. “At least, we’ll never have to drink shitty coffee again. Maybe we can be  _ real  _ actors someday.” Aaron wasn’t responding as quick as Alex liked to and he started to get worried. “Aaron?”

 

“It’s not going to work that way, Alex. Did our past conversation just pass you by? We’re never going to make it in Hollywood. All they want is the straight, white man and his hot blonde girlfriend no matter  _ what  _ genre it is! Do you really think people  _ like us _ could make a difference?” His eyes were stinging with tears because  _ fuck  _ he was an out of work actor. This was what he feared. He couldn’t understand why Alexander didn’t seem to be phased by this at all.

 

“If  _ we _ don't, who  _ else _ will?”

 

His voice was quiet, soft like his mother’s caress after a bad nightmare.  _ Comforting. _ He looked at Alexander and let the tears fall down his cheeks in silent waves. Because that’s what their voice was in Hollywood, silent. “I guess nobody.”

 

“That’s right! If we don’t do something, like actually  _ do something,  _ no one will take us seriously! Do you really just want to be the token black guy in every action movie? Do you think I enjoy being that one Mexican friend in C-movie comedies? By the way, I’m not even  _ close  _ to being Mexican but that’s not the  _ point!   _ Somebody has to start the chain of reactions for us, for women, for children, for  _ anyone _ who wants to make it in Hollywood.”

 

“I didn’t even  _ want  _ to be an actor…” Aaron mumbled under his breath but Alexander heard it.

 

“What?”

 

Aaron’s head snapped up and it was his turn to blush. How could he say it as simple as possible? Answer: He couldn’t. “Before I decided to focus solely on acting, I decided to give directing a shot.” Somewhere within that time frame, Alexander took his hand and urged him to continue. They walked along Hollywood Boulevard and took their time with each step. “I made this one short film and posted it on youtube a few years ago. It was about the Revolutionary War and--”

 

“Wait, I’m going to stop you right there.” Alexander squeezed his hand tightly before turning to face him fully. “Is this film, by any chance, called  _ Wait For It?  _ Was the main storyline about two soldiers in the war who were lovers? Did they also happen to split up after the war because of the period-typical homophobia outside of the battlegrounds?” Aaron couldn’t respond for a few seconds because nobody has ever  _ talked  _ about his film that way.

 

No one has recognized his work before.

 

That film was his pride and joy.

 

All he could do was nod.

 

Alexander was fucking  _ ecstatic _ and he started gushing about how much he  _ loved  _ the film. “Dude, that’s the entire reason why I wanted to become an actor! It was a low budget film but if it were longer than 2 hours, it would have won an  _ Oscar  _ by now! The romantic and sexual tension between Leslie and Lin was so believable I  _ cried _ when they split up. The shots of the soldiers rejoicing in Yorktown looked like it was plucked straight out of 1783! I felt their _ joy. _ I felt their  _ excitement _ at finally gaining independence. I actually felt like a  _ proud American _ for the 20 minutes I watched your film!”

 

Aaron watched Alexander’s chest rise and fall as he regained his breathing again. The sun was high up in the sky and his sweat caught the light and made him actually  _ shine.  _ He stared at his slightly parted lips and imagined little puffs of his breath each time he exhaled. There was the ghost of a smile in the corner of his mouth. By the time he returned to his normal posture, his hair tie finally slipped off and his hair fell in glistening waves across his face.

 

“You’re… you’re  _ amazing.” _ Alexander breathed out and the tight squeeze of his hand made his heart stop momentarily.

 

Aaron definitely knew it this time.

 

He  _ was _ falling in love.

* * *

“And the Oscar for Best Director goes to…  _ Aaron Burr!” _

 

He couldn’t believe his ears. Time seemed to slow to about one hundredth of a second per step he took down the carpeted aisle. The cheers and stomps of people’s feet soon became white noise the closer and closer he got to the stage. The kisses he received on the cheek by several of the people who worked on his film that he passed by felt like needles to his skin. They were gone as soon as they came.

 

Only when he held the tiny golden statue in his hand did he finally know that it was real.

 

He didn’t even notice that he was crying until he was handed a handkerchief by Tom Hanks, the man who presented him the award. He mouthed thanks at the actor before he dabbed at his eyes with the corner of the handkerchief. He faced the audience with the most helpless expression which resulted in them giving him thunderous applause to encourage him. He smiled at them briefly just as he dug a crumpled piece of paper, his speech, from his pant pocket.

 

But then he looked out into the audience and, at the center of everyone, there sat Alexander. The man who was nominated for Best Actor in  _ his  _ film was smiling at him like the first time they met.  _ Awed. Amazed.  _ Suddenly, he didn’t need his prepared speech anymore. There really was only one person he wanted to thank. He could thank Washington for handing him the entire project personally some other time.

 

This award was special and it deserved someone special to be dedicated to.

 

“There really is only one person I would like to thank tonight. Although it’s a given that none of this would be possible without the amazing crew, hardworking actors, and the non-stop caffeination guy who keeps everyone well supplied with coffee. I’m looking at you James Madison, you’re a  _ star!” _ Laughter erupted from the audience at that and Aaron felt calmer than before. “But honestly, none of this would have happened if it weren’t for my wonderful fiancee, Alexander Hamilton.”

 

John Laurens, Alexander’s co-star, shook Alex’s shoulders from behind and gave the surrounding people a fist bump. Alex was only blushing furiously with his bottom lip between his teeth. The sight made him internally swoon and the words came out of his mouth before he could stop them. “Oh my god, I  _ love _ you.” The true statement resulted in raucous applause from everyone in the room including all the actors and producers who worked alongside Alex on the movie. Washington, his assistant director, even gave Alex’s hair an affectionate ruffle.

 

“It’s true, though!” When the noise died down, recognizing that he probably only had a limited time left before the music started, he continued on. “Alexander, my love, you are inimitable, an original, and I am so blessed to call you mine. From the first day, I met you, when you were only known as Skippy for the first few minutes, I knew I was probably never going to get rid of you. So here I am thanking you for believing in me, staying with me, and saying you love me when I needed to hear it the most. You made me realize that if I didn’t do it if  _ we didn’t do it _ , then who else will?

 

“Now you need to hear it again:  _ I love you.  _ This award is for you, baby.” He walked off to the sound of the now familiar applause and he swore he saw Tom Hanks pull out a second handkerchief to dab at his own eyes. When he got back to his seat, Alexander threw his arms around him and sobbed into his shoulder.

 

“You’re the sappiest person alive, Aaron.” He said in between sniffles.

 

“Only for you, Alex.” He kissed the top of Alex’s head before the nominees for  _ Best Actor  _ started being announced. “Only for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos are much appreciated <3


End file.
